


Adventures in Learning How to Human

by porcelainepeony



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
Genre: Domestic Adventures, Ficlet Collection, M/M, Post-Canon, aiballshipping, aiyusa, or maybe i should tag this playing house
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-06
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-01-24 10:29:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 3,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21336757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/porcelainepeony/pseuds/porcelainepeony
Summary: In which Ai wants tobe part of that worldlearn how to human so that Yusaku can have the best trophy AI husband ever!If Yusaku survives Ai's shenanigans anyway.
Relationships: Ai | Ignis/Fujiki Yuusaku
Comments: 39
Kudos: 91





	1. In which Ai wants to feed Yusaku something that isn’t ramen or hot dogs

**Rated: **G  
**Word Count: **~380  
**Notes:** My gf had an idea and it spiraled and now she keeps texting me stupid scenarios and, really, we crave domestic AiYusa, so uh, have some dumb AiYusa ficlets.

Post-canon. I’m just going with “Yusaku somehow brings Ai [and the other ignis] back and they’ve all got SOLtiS bodies!” as my default post-canon setting. Ficlet theme is in the chapter title.

Thanks for reading!

xxx

The first time was a literal disaster. Apart from the burnt skillet, the blaring fire alarm that awoke Yusaku and the rest of the building at six in the morning, and the mess of spilled salt and splattered oil left behind in the communal kitchen, the rice was a pile of mush and the egg—Yusaku assumed it was an egg—looked more like a mountain of ash rather than an edible serving of food.  
  
“I hope you like it!” Ai sang, smiling, hiding the burn on his forearm behind his back.  
  
Yusaku glanced at Ai. At his sparkling eyes and excited grin. At the frilly pink apron he insisted Yusaku needed to buy him so they could properly play house. At the hopeful way he looked at his creation, then back at Yusaku, genuine in his desire to make a delicious dish for Yusaku to enjoy.

Tearing his gaze from Ai, Yusaku stared at the food—if he could call it that—in disgust, wondering if Ai was angry about something or if he had simply inherited Yusaku’s bad kitchen karma. The first time Kusanagi asked Yusaku to watch the truck, Yusaku burned a hotdog to near-charcoal level. Before that, Yusaku set a microwave on fire and had eaten the smoked noodles he managed to save out of spite. Surely Ai’s dish was... a little more palatable than what Yusaku had been able to create.  
  
The smile on Ai’s lips grew, a soft pink glow dusting his cheeks as he waited for Yusaku to take a bite of the meal. Yusaku hated himself for falling for Ai’s tender, hopeful smile, but he let himself walk right into the trap, picked up his chopsticks and bowl, and shoveled food into his mouth while holding his breath.  
  
“Well?” Ai asked, looming over the side of the desk, eyes growing as he watched Yusaku devour the food.  
  
“It’s disgusting,” Yusaku replied after an unfortunate swallow, unsure of how he was going to deal with the eventual stomach cramps and possible vomiting, but he figured he’d let Ai handle that mess.  
  
Ai dramatically gasped, fake-crying into his arm, “I’ll do it better next time! I promise, Yusaku-chan!”  
  
Yusaku gave himself three more months to live and shoved another mouthful of mush into his mouth. 


	2. In which Ai needs to buy clothes. You know, to blend in!

**Rated: **Maybe T for uh Ai being a flirt?  
**Word Count:** ~350

xxx

“Does this make me look fat?” Ai asked with the most serious expression Yusaku thought he had ever seen grace Ai’s features.

Somehow, Ai convinced Yusaku he needed new clothes. Something a little less flashy, but still eccentric enough to warrant gawks and stares. Yusaku never really cared about clothes. Whatever was comfortable and affordable was all he needed, but Ai liked frills and lace and cute patterns and ascots and belts a little too much.

Oh and boots. Leather boots. With heels. Those skinny, long heels Yusaku was sure were more painful and difficult to walk in than models made them look.  
  
“It does, doesn’t it?” Ai whined when Yusaku took longer than ten seconds to reply and rushed back into the dressing room with a fake, loud sob.   
  
Yusaku sighed, leaning back against a wall, listening to Ai fumble with buckles and zippers. By this point—three hours into their shopping escapade—Yusaku was amazed Ai hadn’t started to grab dresses and skirts off the racks.

“What about this?” Ai asked, first peeking his head past the curtain, then twirling his way out, stopping only when he was right in front of Yusaku.

The shirt was a cream-colored blouse, made of what appeared to be a delicate silk-like fabric. The buttons down the center weren’t as flashy as some of the buttons on other shirts Ai had tried on, but the cut down his neck was deep, revealing a little too much of Ai’s chest. Still, it was a decent shirt, and it somehow paired nicely with the fitted black pants Ai currently wore, the delicate black and silver belt, and Ai’s long, flirty, fluttering lashes.

Yusaku parted his lips to reply, to maybe tell Ai he would look beautiful in anything he chose to wear, but Ai’s lips were beside Yusaku’s earlobe faster than Yusaku could blink.

“Whaddaya say? Easy enough to slip off at night?”

Yusaku frowned, made sure he nudged Ai in the stomach hard enough to put a good five feet between them, and walked away before Ai noticed the blush staining his cheeks.


	3. In which Yusaku ponders chucking his phone against a wall

**Rated: **G  
**Word Count: **~350  
**Notes:**_ // this is a text message! //_

xxx

It started with a single endearing text in the morning, right as Yusaku walked into homeroom and sat down in his usual seat. Before he could take his customary morning nap, Yusaku’s phone vibrated in his pocket.

_|| Have a good day at school, Yusaku-chan! (_ _≧∇≦)/ Ai miss you!!!! ||_

Yusaku didn’t reply—he rarely replied to text messages, unless it was an emergency—and pocketed his phone again, completely unaware that his nap wouldn’t be interrupted by Shima as it usually was, but by another one of Ai’s messages. Yusaku didn’t have to look at his notifs to know it was Ai. No one else who knew his number—a grand total of Kusanagi, Aoi, and Takeru— ever texted him before classes began, and if Yusaku started looking at each of Ai's texts, Shima was bound to notice. The very last thing Yusaku wanted was for Shima to accuse him of having a secret girlfriend and then later try to use that information as blackmail.

In homeroom alone, Yusaku counted six times his phone buzzed, and it only got worse as the day progressed.

_|| Yusaku-chan! _ _മ_ _◡_ _മ What are you eating for lunch? ||_

_|| It’s sooooooo boring in this apartment!_ _◔___◔ ||_

_|| ┐(´_ _∀_ _｀)┌ What should I cook for dinner??? ||_

_|| Did you do your homework????? ||_

_|| Yusaku-chan, I’m lonely!!!! _ _（ｉД_ _ｉ）||_

_|| YUSAKU-CHAN!!!! (__ಥ__﹏__ಥ) MY FAVORITE CHARACTER DIED! (__ಥ__﹏__ಥ)_ _(__ಥ__﹏__ಥ)_ _(__ಥ__﹏__ಥ) I DON’T LIKE THIS SOAP OPERA ANYMORE!!!! (__ಥ__﹏__ಥ)_ _(__ಥ__﹏__ಥ)_ _(__ಥ__﹏__ಥ)_ _(__ಥ__﹏__ಥ)_ _(__ಥ__﹏__ಥ)_ _(__ಥ__﹏__ಥ)_ _(__ಥ__﹏__ಥ)_ _(__ಥ__﹏__ಥ) ||_

_|| What if I roast a chicken!!! _ _♡_ _＾▽＾♡ How does that sound??? ||_

Yusaku shoved his phone into his schoolbag and rubbed his temples, the buzzing much louder between two notebooks. It was only ten in the morning, and Yusaku didn’t want to think about how many more text messages he would receive when Ai figured out he could now take selfies.


	4. In which Ai perfects the art of selfies

**Rated: **T for some suggestiveness  
**Word Count: **~550  
**Notes:** Uh I guess this is actually a slight continuation from the last ficlet!

_// This is a text! //_

xxx  
  


By noon, Ai realized three things. One, he wasn’t going to be able to roast a chicken for dinner because he didn’t have a chicken, nor could he afford one. Two, the school day was only half over. Three, Yusaku hadn’t replied to any of his 63 text messages.

Ai knew Yusaku was in class, but because Ai tagged along to school with Yusaku before, Ai knew Yusaku didn’t pay attention to lectures. Yusaku was most likely staring blankly at the teacher’s back. Or dozing off. But he was most definitely not paying attention. That meant Yusaku could have looked at his phone plenty of times and answered at least one of Ai’s messages. But did he?

“You’re so cruel, Yusaku!” Ai shouted at no one and threw himself onto the bed. Yusaku had warned Ai that if he went back to school, Ai would be alone in the flat for hours. Ai knew there was a risk, that he might lose his sanity if he stayed indoors all day with no one to talk to, but he didn’t want Yusaku to drop out of school entirely, not after he missed months of school searching for a way to bring Ai back.

Picking up the phone, Ai thought it was time to get Yusaku’s attention in other ways. Ways that included tacky photos, trendy filters, and adorable stickers. Ways that were sure to get some sort of reaction, at the very least an _I love you too, Ai. _Ways that would make Yusaku pine for the beautiful, stunning, naked AI waiting back at home.

The first selfie was a test. A giant smile and peace sign, complete with a cat filter. But after waiting 5 minutes and getting no response, Ai sent another selfie. And another. Then another. The filters kept getting more elaborate—some had makeup, some morphed Ai’s face, others added weird backgrounds or hairstyles. None, though, prompted Yusaku to reply.

“Yusaku-chaaaaan,” Ai whined at the phone, taking what he considered a rather cute selfie of his pouting face. When no reply came, Ai slowly began to unbutton his shirt. He slid it down one shoulder and played the role of one of those so-called Instagram models, making sure his eyes were half-lidded and flirty for the shot. There was still no reply, so Ai continued to strip and take photos of himself, revealing a little more skin with every selfie, a little more chest and waist, a little more hip and ass, a little more--

_//AI, STOP THAT RIGHT NOW//_

_//Aha!!!! (♥ω♥) You are reading my texts!!!//_

Five minutes passed. Yusaku didn’t answer.

Ai sent a tasteful shot of his bare, crossed legs. Then another of his head cocked to one side, baring his neck for the lens. Finally, he sent one of his backside, courtesy of the bathroom mirror, and made sure only a hint of his ass was visible.

_//Ai, when I get home, I’m throwing your phone away.//_

Ai chuckled, held his phone up, and took a rather cute selfie of his smiling face.

_//Ai love you too, Yusaku-chan!!! I’ll be waiting on the bed (_ _・_ _ω_ _ｰ_ _)_ _～_ _☆_ _//_

A few minutes passed before Yusaku replied.

//I love you too, Ai.//

That message was enough to make Ai’s day a little brighter.


	5. In which Ai likes to hold hands (and maybe Yusaku does too)

**Rated: **G  
**Word Count: **~335  
**Notes:** It occurred to me that Yusaku is also learning things, and he’s learning them through Ai. Ugh my heart WHEN IS THE WEDDING

xxx

Affection wasn’t something Yusaku was accustomed to, but Ai was working to change that. Not consciously. Ai would never force Yusaku to do anything he didn’t want to do. But the seeds were planted with every tender good morning, with every chaste forehead kiss, with every backrub and soft embrace.

“Sorry, Yusaku-chan~,” Ai apologized randomly, usually after suffocating Yusaku in his arms when he arrived home from school.

Ai didn’t have to explain himself. Yusaku thought he knew the reasons behind the neediness, behind the desire to brush skin against skin at every opportunity, even the most inconvenient. It was Ai’s way of reminding Yusaku he was there, beside him, loving him, all the while making sure Yusaku was there too, warm, heart beating, alive.

While the hugs and kisses weren’t too frequent—too frequent by Ai’s definition anyway—the hand holding was nearly constant, almost habitual. At night, Ai’s fingers would search for Yusaku’s, gently intertwining and locking Yusaku’s hand in his grasp. When they walked side by side, Ai’s hand reached for Yusaku’s almost instinctively—protectively—grip soft yet firm. Sometimes, a rush of warmth dusted Yusaku’s cheeks, while a giant, pleased grin stretched Ai’s lips.

The first time Ai took a little longer than usual to take Yusaku’s hand in his was the day Yusaku realized he was quite fond of holding hands with Ai. Their palms and fingers fit comfortably against each other’s, and though Ai wasn’t human, he was soft and warm and entirely meant to be by Yusaku’s side.

“Hm,” Ai hummed, blinking when Yusaku grabbed his hand as they walked back from buying groceries.

Yusaku didn’t say anything, but his gaze did catch Ai’s, and a small smile kissed his lips.

Ai blushed slightly, but smiled back. “Did you miss my touch that much, Yusaku-chan?” He teased.

Yusaku would have told Ai to shut up. Would have told him the truth and said yes. Instead, he gave Ai’s hand a squeeze.

All was right with the world.


	6. In which Ai is a heater

**Rated: **G  
**Word Count: **~310

xxx

The shivering wasn’t obvious, but after ten consecutive minutes, Ai opened his eyes and peered at Yusaku. Or what would have been Yusaku had he not been layered beneath five blankets.

“Yusaku?” Ai whispered, scooting a little closer to the bundle of fabric. Yusaku didn’t reply, but something told Ai Yusaku was wide awake. “Yusaku-chan~!” He tried again, this time poking what he thought might have been Yusaku’s side.

Yusaku mumbled a firm “be quiet” but did nothing else besides continue the shivering.

Ai frowned, “Are you cold?” The answer was obvious, but Ai wanted to be sure before he decided to solve Yusaku’s problem.

“Mm,” was the only noise that came from the burrito of blankets, the curt answer rather endearing and cute despite Yusaku’s obvious suffering.

Without saying a word, Ai grinned and rolled on top of Yusaku, throwing an arm and a leg over the shivering boy. Despite the new SOLtiS model being designed to resemble a human body more closely, Ai was able to regulate his body’s temperature. Generally, he liked experimenting by letting nature dictate how hot or cold he was, but when it came to Yusaku, Ai cheated a little and warmed himself up to make sure Yusaku didn’t freeze on really cold nights.

Yusaku poked his head from under the blankets, met Ai’s gaze, and frowned. “You’re heavy,” he complained, though Ai noticed the shivering ceased.

Ai smiled wide and leaned down to press the tip of his nose against Yusaku’s. “Are you warm now?” He asked, amusement sparkling in the depths of golden eyes.

“I told you to be quiet. I have class tomorrow,” Yusaku replied, gingerly rubbing his nose against Ai’s before attempting to make himself comfortable beneath Ai’s weight.

Ai pouted, but he refused to leave his comfortable spot and couldn’t help but smile as he watched Yusaku drift off to sleep. 


	7. In which Ai marvels at snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s been freaking cold in Japan so I’m taking the time to upload all my winter ficlets apparently. 😂

**Rated: **G  
**Word Count: **~360

xxx

Ai had no need for sweaters and scarves. His body was equipped to regulate temperatures and could easily double as a heater if he so willed it. But there was no fun in walking around in the cold if he wasn’t going to shiver in place beside Yusaku, so Ai allowed the cold to consume him as he walked to and from the grocery store, hands stuffed in fluffy mittens, scarf neatly wrapped around his neck. 

“I like this!” Ai voiced, grinning at Yusaku, knowing Yusaku hated the cold. 

A heavy sigh left Yusaku’s lips, a puff of white smoke billowing as he spoke,” I hate winter.”

Ai laughed, inching closer to Yusaku, “But now we can make hot chocolate to keep us warm.”

Going out to buy hot cocoa mix was entirely Ai’s idea, but Yusaku liked the thought of a hot drink in the dead of winter. It would warm him up better than the old, thin blankets on his bed. 

A loud gasp and an excited, “Yusaku, look!” interrupted Yusaku’s thoughts. Glancing first at Ai, then at the sky, Yusaku quickly realized what had brought a giant smile to Ai’s lips. 

The snow was small and light, barely a whisper against Yusaku’s skin. But to Ai, that was enough to coat his eyes with a blissful glaze. 

“It’s cold!” Ai observed, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk to peer at the sky. “And wet!” 

Ai’s laughter waltzed through the air, made Yusaku’s heart flutter. Yusaku stopped too, frowning, commenting with a, “Of course it’s cold and wet.” It hadn’t occurred to Yusaku that Ai had never felt snow before. Not against his SOLtiS skin anyway. 

“It’s beautiful,” Ai added, gaze softening, smile growing. He stood in place, eyes watching the flakes as they danced in the sky, serenity and happiness kissing his rosy cheeks. 

Yusaku watched Ai, felt his hands freeze as the wind blew, felt his own cheeks heat as he observed Ai’s innocent, almost childlike excitement flourish. “Very beautiful,” Yusaku mumbled, smiling a little. 

Ai giggled, reached for Yusaku’s hand, and pressed their noses together. “Let’s go home,” he happily whispered, peering into Yusaku’s eyes. 


	8. In which Yusaku catches a cold

**Rated: **G  
**Word Count: **~380

xxx

It was the first time Ai had ever seen Yusaku sick. Sleep deprived? Sure! Dehydrated? A few times! Hungry to the point of collapsing on the bed and groaning for food? Yup! Ai had seen Yusaku at his lowest, or what he assumed was his lowest. 

This time was different. Yusaku was flushed, hot and cold at the same time, lying unmoving in bed, not even making a sound unless it was to almost hack a lung out. 

Yusaku coughed, wincing in pain. 

Immediately, Ai lunged forward and grasped Yusaku’s hand. “Yusaku!” He called, eyebrows furrowing, golden irises scanning Yusaku’s body for any signs of, well, anything. Yusaku insisted all he had was a cold, but Ai didn’t want to risk Yusaku’s health. He’d make sure absolutely nothing was wrong, even if it meant he wouldn’t move from his spot beside Yusaku’s bed. 

“Ai,” Yusaku breathed out, voice hoarse, breaking. 

Ai bit his bottom lip and tightened his hold on Yusaku’s hand. “Don’t die!” Ai nearly shouted, unable to stop a shuddering breath from quivering his body. “I promised I wouldn’t leave, so you can’t die!”

“It’s a cold, idiot,” Yusaku managed, even rolled his eyes for effect.

If Yusaku had that much attitude, surely he was feeling better, right? “Should I buy a nurse outfit?” Ai asked with a waggle of his eyebrows.

A soft cough, “Ai…”

“Do you prefer doctors?”

“Ai…”

“Maybe I’ll just make some chicken soup!”

The fear in Yusaku’s eyes was evident, “I’ll die.”

Ai was offended! But he had no time for his bratty comeback, not when a deep cough shook Yusaku’s bed.

“Yusaku,” Ai breathed out, golden eyes brimming with worry. When Yusaku didn’t answer, Ai squeezed Yusaku’s hand, kissed each of Yusaku’s fingertips, and crawled into bed beside him.

A few minutes crawled by. “Hey, Ai,” Yusaku groaned, body scooting closer to Ai’s.

Judging by the look on the AI’s face, Ai was ready and willing to do anything Yusaku asked.

“Ignis can’t get sick, huh?”

Ai smiled sadly and shook his head. “But if I could, I’d be sick for you,” Ai added, resting his head against Yusaku’s chest.

Yusaku would never wish such a fate on Ai—Ai knew that—but his reply put a smile on Yusaku’s lips.


	9. In which Yusaku is reminded of how much Ai loves him

**Rated:** G  
**Word Count: **~625  
**Notes:** I wrote this last year while in Japan, then broke my phone and thought I lost it and a bunch of other fic I had written. XD When I found it, it was the middle of summer, and I didn’t want to post this out-of-place Christmas ficlet, SO I’M POSTING IT A YEAR LATER HURRAH! I don’t really celebrate Christmas, but I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season!

  
xxx

  
The small Christmas tree Ai insisted they buy was lit when Yusaku arrived home, its few ornaments winking in the darkening room. Yusaku closed the door behind himself and muttered a quick, “I’m home,” before walking toward his desk to drop off the bag of vending machine snacks he had bought himself. Before the bag hit the desk, his green gaze spotted a rather large and poorly wrapped box sitting atop of his laptop, complete with a sparkling red bow. Raising a brow, Yusaku parted his lips to speak.

“Welcome home!” Ai’s voice echoed as he emerged from the bathroom. Even though androids didn’t need to maintain their hygiene, Ai insisted on pampering his skin and dazzling his face with makeup.

“What’s this?” Yusaku asked, waiting for Ai to plant a kiss on his cheek before pointing at the box.

“It’s a gift,” Ai said, wearing the biggest smile he could probably muster.  
  
“I know it’s a gift,” Yusaku replied in a hushed tone, eyeing the present. He had never really celebrated Christmas before, except for that one occasion when Kusanagi insisted they buy matching sweaters and listen to Christmas music while hunting the Hanoi. Otherwise, the holidays meant nothing more than decorative lights hanging in the streets and the occasional ad he encountered when logging onto LINK VRAINS.   
  
“Aren’t ya gonna open it?” Ai asked. He was bouncing in place, albeit discretely, and wore a big, hopeful smile.  
  
Eyeing the gift again, Yusaku breathed out deeply. “Fine,” he caved, a little curious, possibly even a bit happy. It was the first real Christmas gift he had ever received and only the second time anyone had thought about him during what was typically a time spent with family and friends. Yusaku wasn’t sentimental, but Ai was, and he was starting to rub off on Yusaku. “It better not be one of your disgusting cakes though,” he half-teased, earning a small pout from Ai.   
  
The wrapping paper came off, then the lid. Green eyes widened. Yusaku’s fingers froze. For a second, he thought he was seeing things. Hallucinating the small blue robot sitting in the box. Perhaps dreaming the entire scenario all together. But then Ai spoke, voice clear and warm and gentle.  
  
“Do you like it? I programmed her using the same file you crea--”  
  
Yusaku heard nothing that came from Ai’s lips. Running on emotions alone, he instead crashed hard against Ai’s chest and wrapped his arms snug around him.  
  
“Yusaku?”  
  
Shutting his eyes tightly, Yusaku allowed the tears to pool at the corners. ”Ai, you didn’t have to,” he breathed softly, fingers clutching Ai’s shirt.

Ai’s arms encircled Yusaku and returned the squeeze. ”I did! Our family isn’t complete without Roboppi.”

Yusaku smiled against Ai’s chest and nodded, “You’re right.”

Tenderly, Ai pressed a kiss against Yusaku’s forehead, threading his fingers through Yusaku’s hair. “Of course I’m right! When are you gonna learn that every idea I have is a good one?”

”Oh?” Yusaku peered up, meeting Ai’s golden gaze. His arms refused to release Ai, despite the playful comment that escaped his lips. “Maybe when you stop setting off the fire alarm at 4 in the morning.”

Ai laughed sheepishly and pressed his nose to Yusaku’s. “Merry Christmas, Yusaku-chan~!”

A smile graced Yusaku’s lips.   
  
“Merry Christmas, Ai.”


End file.
